Lluritu shrugs off the classic formality of upscale marisquerias (seafood restaurants) to offer exceptional seafood without frills. Bare marble tables at the lively hub are crowded with short cañas of cold beer and heaping platters of grilled razor clams, sea scallops, langoustines, and mussels, as well as plates of smoked eel and tomato salad, and glistening oysters shucked to order. The house specialty is lorito (Lluritu is a Catalanized play on the name, but the small fish is known as pearly razorfish in English). Only in season from September to March, the tender fish is lightly fried and served with a simple side of seasonal vegetables. Market prices for the local fishy delicacy can soar based on availability and demand, especially due to the fish’s recent popularity with Michelin-starred chefs in the region and recent measures to promote sustainable fishing.

Chef Ryuta Sato built a name for himself at popular restaurant Sato i Tanaka before opening this tiny sushi bar with just eight seats specializing in omakase servings of super-premium sushi. With so few seats, you’ll need to score a reservation well in advance, but it’s worth the wait. Choose from either the long or short menu, and savor each bite straight from chef Sato’s expert hands.

Located at the heart of the Gràcia neighborhood on the bustling Carrer Verdi, Bar Salvatge is a natural wine bar dedicated to “natural wines and wild wine makers.” The bar serves a rotating selection of unique wines, on draft or by the bottle, sourced locally and produced with limited artificial intervention. Pours cost a fraction of what they would in New York or London, allowing diners to try options until they find something that resonates. Pair your wine with a board of cured meats and cheese, or order a full meal from the selection of upscale tapas, salads, and sandwiches, all of which adhere to the restaurant’s Slow Food philosophy.

The team at pizzeria Sartoria Panatieri focuses on seasonality, artisan production, and ingredient provenance, taking the pies to a whole other level and making this one of the hottest spots in the city. This self-described “farm to pizza” restaurant meticulously selects every ingredient that graces its creative pizzas or goes into its exceptional house-made salumi. Tender crust from local, organic flour is the base for toppings like sobrasada, Mahón cheese, wild fennel, honey, and mozzarella, or Cantabrian anchovy with escarole and Kalamata olive puree.

Berbena is a popular addition to the blossoming world of chef-driven, modern Catalan cuisine in Barcelona. Grab one of the handful of tables, and begin your meal with hearty chunks of homemade sourdough smeared with rich, smoked butter. Then dive into the assortment of seasonal small plates featuring whatever is fresh that day, from grilled sea bass collar with preserved lemon to an omelet of wild mushrooms with roasted onions. Shellfish and other seafood are always in abundance, and vibrant vegetables often play a starring role in the nightly specials. The cheese selection is impressive, as is the selection of small-production wines from local vineyards. Linger over dessert as you enjoy excellent coffee from nearby SlowMov specialty roasters and espresso from the gleaming La Marzocco machine.

Seyma Ozkaya Erpul is originally from Turkey but has called Barcelona home for over 12 years. She left her previous career as an engineer and marketing professional to pursue her passion for great food and design, opening the first Funky Bakers in the heart of El Born. While that location remains a popular takeaway coffee shop, the full Funky Bakers experience can be had at the new Eatery and Deli location in Eixample. One side is a highly curated gourmet grocery, gift, and coffee shop, while the other is an all-day bistrot serving colorful and creative dishes from around Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Founded in 1898, this family-run colmado has long been one of the most iconic gourmet shops in the city, with an impressive stock of over 200 cheeses and a huge selection of wines, conservas, and cured meats. The famed dry goods store was recently renovated to welcome three additional spaces led by chef Jordi Vilà. There’s El Murri, a bar and terrace where much of the shop’s wares can be sampled; the restaurant, 1898, a fine dining concept housed in an old storeroom; and finally Murmurri, a speakeasy-style bar.

In this pork-centric region, beef doesn’t usually play a starring role on menus, which makes Lomo Alto even more special. This meat destination is really without compare when it comes to dry-aging. Each cut of meat is meticulously cataloged and labeled with the age and breed, and the steaks are cooked with precision over charcoal flames on custom-made Josper grills. For a special occasion, spring for a 150-day-aged Rubia Gallega T-bone steak, carved tableside.

Rafa Zafra, former head chef at El Bulli, who has come to be known for his elegant and simplistic approach to seafood at Estimar, launched Amar inside the emblematic Palace hotel in spring 2022. The hotel, which first opened as the original Ritz Barcelona in 1919, still dazzles with opulent, old-world decor, making it a perfect stage for Zafra’s homage to classic fine dining. Amar serves a section of dishes from the original Ritz hotel restaurant menu, as well as top-quality seafood, nine dishes highlighting caviar, a handful of modern Catalan mains, whole grilled fish, vegetable sides, and Mediterranean tapas.

Chef Rafa Peña’s passion for food is as great as his disregard for formality and fine dining accolades. A favorite among the city’s chefs, Gresca is a must-visit for lovers of nose-to-tail cooking who want to experience the best of seasonal Catalan cuisine without the stuffy service and delicate portions of some Michelin-starred restaurants. The menu can change from day to day, but there are some mainstays that every first-timer at Gresca should experience, such as the roasted chicken with fines herbes, the calf’s brain with butter and lemon, the pan-roasted sweetbreads, and the grilled quail.

In an antique bar space with over 100 years of history, on a coveted corner in one of the trendiest parts of the Eixample, Soma opened in 2021 to instant accolades from the gourmands of Barcelona. Cozy decor and a Parisian-style terrace set the stage for a menu of Catalan tapas with a strong Italian character and hints of France. Look for duck a l’orange, galetes de socarrat de risotto (a risotto cooked until compact and crispy like the bottom of a classic paella), marinated mackerel with strawberries, and ragu-stuffed rigatoni.

Created by Priscilla Alfaro, a Mexican American woman who grew up in Los Angeles, with her partner Gaston Gabrielli and chef Nick Hosea, this is an excellent, modern American diner where the draw is simple: truly delicious food and bottomless filter coffee from specialty roaster Three Marks Coffee. The pancakes are fluffy, the bacon is crispy, the breakfast burrito is hearty, and the Nashville hot chicken sandwich is tongue-numbingly good. Too many brunch spots in Barcelona rely on Instagram-worthy visuals to compensate for mediocre flavors and cookery, but Gringa All Day is the real deal. Expect a line on the weekends, but the wait is worth it.

It’s rare in Barcelona to see a classic trompo slowly, perfectly charring pork meat, but Xuba Tacos takes its tacos al pastor very seriously. The restaurant lovingly layers spiced pork on the spit, shaves it into thin slices, and serves it on supple, handmade blue corn tortillas. Alongside classics like al pastor and carne asada, there are also modern creations, like black beer-batter sea bass tacos with crispy leeks and sauteed lobster tail tacos with cilantro emulsion. Keep an eye out for seasonal specials, like wild mushroom and roasted chestnut tacos, and don’t miss the micheladas.

The location of Flax and Kale just off the Pasaje de las Manufacturas is by far the brand’s best. It’s open all day, great for a weekend brunch, and the menu is distinct from the other locations, boasting the company’s astonishingly good wood-fired vegan pizzas (that also happen to be gluten-free). Chef Teresa Carles has been pioneering “flexitarian” food in Barcelona since 2014, and other highlights of her menu include bao stuffed with jackfruit “pulled pork,” house-made spicy chai kombucha, and vegan scrambles made with ackee. There are also some fish dishes, like black cod with bok choy and black garlic dashi, and yellowfin tuna tacos with Chinese cabbage and chipotle for those craving some extra omega-3s.

Biercab has a rotating selection of draft beer flowing from 30 taps and an international bottle list so staggeringly extensive that it borders on intimidating, so there’s likely no better place in town for lovers of craft beer. As if the tremendous selection isn’t enough, Biercab has a full kitchen, offering tapas, sandwiches, burgers, lighter plates, and main courses (a rarity in Barcelona, where many craft beer bars have a small menu of basic snacks). Try the extra-spicy potatoes or the grilled wagyu steak with a house-made, hop-spiked chimichurri.

In front is a shop and wine bar called Can Cisa, and in the back you’ll find this full-service, wine-centric restaurant from twin Venetian chefs Max and Stefano Colombo. The menu combines Italian and Catalan cuisines, with an array of salty, sweet, rich, and acidic small plates, ranging from grilled octopus with pickles and beet puree to smoked sardines with apple relish. These aren’t your average tapas. All of the wine is natural, and many bottles are also biodynamic and organic. The well-trained waiters can guide any diner — from a wine novice to seasoned connoisseur — to a new, enlightened pairing for a meal.

Asturias and Catalunya are starkly different in culture and landscape, but at El Chigre 1769, the two cuisines exist in sumptuous harmony. Part vermuteria (vermouth bar), part sidreria (cider bar), El Chigre is housed in an ancient stone building from 1769 and offers products of Asturian fame — from spanking-fresh Atlantic shellfish to cave-aged cabrales blue cheese — alongside beloved Catalan dishes like esqueixada (chilled bacalao salad) and charcoal-roasted Pyrenees pork knuckle for two. When merriment ensues and your cider misses the glass (as it’s known to do), not to fear; the floor is blanketed with sawdust, in classic fashion, to soak up every errant drop.

Dr. Zhang is one of the most popular dim sum spots in the city. The restaurant boasts a dozen varieties of dumplings: Chinese eggplant and Sichuan pepper jiaozi, pork langoustine teriyaki chile wontons, Nepali potato curry momos, duck and date gyozas, and more. The menu goes beyond dumplings, however; round out your meal with a bowl of peanuty dan dan noodles or fragrant red curry laksa. The service is fast, the prices are friendly, and the Dr. Zhang New England IPA (with a hint of lychee) makes for a perfect pairing to anything.

With just eight seats at an L-shaped counter, Direkte Boqueria resembles an omakase-style sushi bar, which perfectly fits with the Catalan Asian hybrid cuisine of esteemed local chef Arnau Muñío. This tiny restaurant, located on the edge of Barcelona’s famous Mercat de Sant Josep (better known as La Boqueria market), serves hyper-local tasting menus with ingredients sourced from stalls just steps away. Muñio’s tenure cooking for some of Catalunya’s greatest fine dining chefs — from Carles Abellán to Albert Adrià — comes through in playful, nuanced dishes. Look for his spin on the traditional mar i muntanya (Catalan surf and turf) with Japanese-style braised pork belly and tender king crab meat, or the colorful flan de erizo (sea urchin custard) garnished with salmon roe and paper-thin okra rounds, with a subtle punch of wasabi. Reservations go quickly, so make sure to book well in advance.

One of the oldest restaurants in the beachside neighborhood of La Barceloneta, this is the birthplace of the famous “bomba de la Barceloneta,” a mouth­watering fried potato croquette stuffed with savory ground beef and topped with aioli and hot sauce, which now appears on menus all over the city. In addition to the bombas, try the calamars a la planxa (grilled squid) and grilled sardines (in summer). If you have a taste for offal, add a plate of cap i pota, an old-­school Catalan stew of tripe, veal trotters, and veal head in tomato.

A longtime favorite for a mix of modern and classic tapas, Bar Cañete is a quintessential Barcelona dining experience. Tables in the bustling dining room can be reserved for groups of four or more, but otherwise it’s first come, first serve. The best seating is along the bar at the gleaming open kitchen, where diners get up-close views of chefs at work and white-jacketed servers darting back and forth with bottles of cava and artful plates of hand-cut jamón. The menu of tapas and larger plates changes with the seasons, but don’t miss house specialties like giant red prawns that arrive daily from the docks, sea anemones with cured Iberian pork belly, and runny potato omelets.

A busy, neighborhood bar with a kitschy 1950s rock and roll theme, Bar Ramón has been a local go­-to since 1939. Famous for signature dishes like seared foie gras with beef filet on toast, as well as classic tapas like croquettes and gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), Bar Ramón is a place where you can eat very well on the cheap. Reservations are recommended, but can only be made by phone or in person.

Suculent isn’t defined by one genre of cuisine, but packs its tasting and a la carte menus with as many delicious dishes as possible. It’s a favorite among chefs for nose-to-tail cooking and fine dining makeovers of grandma’s Catalan comfort food (with influences from Asia and Latin America). Dishes change with the seasons, but don’t miss mainstays such as the beets with beurre blanc and smoked eel, the royal custard of porcini mushrooms with sea urchin, and the braised hare canelon with foie gras and Codium seaweed.

Found on the restaurant-­rich street of Carrer del Parlament, this classic­-meets-­modern bodega stands out in the Sant Antoni neighborhood. Enjoy a glass of wine from the shop’s old barrels, which the business also sells “a granel” (by the liter), vermouth, and various craft beers; snack on tapas and Catalan dishes; or just browse the gourmet shop. There is a little something wonderful here for everyone.

The Pakistani community is the lifeblood of the Raval neighborhood. That’s where you’ll find Zeeshan Kebabish, a longtime local meeting place, a neighborhood landmark since 2001, and one of the oldest halal restaurants in the city. Dishes hail from both Pakistan and India, including tandoor-roasted lamb tikka, shrimp karahi curry, kalonji (nigella) seed naan, and stewed bitter melon. This is a great spot for a hearty and flavor-packed meal that breaks with the Mediterranean tendencies that dominate many meals elsewhere in Barcelona.

Owner Badr Bennis and head chef Nicola Valle were inspired by the freedom they found in New York’s creative Italian restaurants. At the upscale yet informal Benzina (“Gasoline” in Italian), housed in a former auto repair shop, they serve a menu of updated Italian classics, incorporating international influences, non-traditional ingredients, and colorful presentations. The atmosphere is more akin to a rock and roll bar than your typical red sauce spot. The menu is refreshed every couple of months, with dishes like cacio e pepe risotto with fried squid and mandarin reduction, Roman-style gnocchi with slow-cooked rabbit and kale, balsamic-roasted pork loin with maitake mushrooms, and confit eggplant parmesan topped with basil sorbet.

Until the pandemic, Tickets was one of the most sought-after reservations in Barcelona, treating diners to the style of Barcelona’s old theater district in its heyday. The restaurant’s closing made way for Teatro Kitchen Bar, a reimagined take on the same theme. The average cost per diner at Teatro is a third of what it was at Tickets, making the experience much more accessible while still offering up creative tapas cooked by a team with Michelin dining pedigrees. Teatro Kitchen is the main event, but there’s also Backstage, an adjoining cocktail bar that’s the perfect place to wrap up your night.

A Japanese Mediterranean izakaya tavern, Alapar is located in the space previously inhabited by the Michelin-starred Pakta, where Jaume Marambio was head chef. After Pakta closed during the pandemic, Marambio joined together with partner Vicky Maccarone in early 2022 to revive the space, bringing a new vision of a casual but refined take on Japanese cuisine to the location. Marambio prepares the best seasonal products from the Mediterranean, treating them with subtlety and simplicity. Raw, pickled, marinated, grilled, and stewed preparations showcase the harmony between the flavor profiles of Japan and Catalunya.